ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The parents of twin boys found emaciated last month amid freezing conditions are facing more charges, including conspiracy to commit murder.
Tracy Dechant, 42, the twins' mother, and Joshua Dechant, 36, were arrested Jan. 26; each was charged with two counts of endangering the welfare of children.
Pennsylvania State Police said troopers went that week to the Dechants’ home in Lower Macungie Township after neighbors said a nearly naked 15-year-old boy banged on their door looking for help.
"Authorities believe the twins did not receive professional medical care in eight years; in that time, they gained just 10 pounds."Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan
Both were released Jan. 27 after a bondsman posted their bail, set at $75,000 each, according to court records.
Lehigh County prosecutors on Friday filed 14 new charges — 10 felonies and four misdemeanors — against each parent.
Tracy and Joshua Dechant face the same set of charges: two counts each of conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated assault, witness intimidation, unlawful restraint of a minor, false imprisonment, simple assault and reckless endangerment, court records show.
Both were in Lehigh County Jail on Friday afternoon as they were unable to immediately post bail, now set at $200,000 each, according to court records.
Other kids removed from home
Authorities said the boy who sought a neighbor’s help weighed 55 pounds when doctors would expect a child his size and age to weigh about 90 pounds more.
The boys are "approximately a foot shorter than they should be due to malnutrition."Lehigh County authorities
His twin brother weighed 53 pounds when he was found inside the Dechants’ home in the 1200 block of Divot Drive, according to court records.
They are "approximately a foot shorter than they should be due to malnutrition," authorities said Friday.
"These two 15-year-old victims combined weighed the same as one average, healthy 12-year-old boy," authorities said, citing growth charts developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Both boys were hospitalized due to their "dire medical situation," and three younger children were placed with relatives, authorities said last month.
They've since been released, but they have numerous medical issues, including heart arrhythmia, scurvy and severe vitamin deficiencies, Holihan said.
These medical issues would have resulted in the boys' deaths if left untreated, he said.
'Virtually no contact' with outside world: DA
The boy who sought help on Jan. 22 told state troopers that his stepfather forced him to go outside while naked as a form of punishment.
The temperature was in the single digits at that time, according to authorities.
The boy looked “very malnourished and extremely thin,” troopers wrote in the criminal complaint filed against the Dechants.
He "would not stop eating" after neighbors let him inside their home, authorities said Friday.
Three younger children were removed from the home and placed with relatives after the boys were hospitalized last month, authorities said.
Both boys said their parents denied them food and water and subjected them to other forms of abuse that included being forced to walk around the home naked and sleeping on the floor and sharing just one blanket, Holihan said.
Authorities believe the twins did not get professional medical care in eight years. In that time, they gained just 10 pounds, Holihan said.
The twins said they had "virtually no contact" with anyone outside their home in about a year, he said.
Holihan said Tracy and Joshua Dechant pressured one boy to lie about the abuse while speaking to authorities in the hospital.
Both are due in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.
